Osteoarthritis of the knee
What is osteoarthritis of the knee?
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a major contributor to chronic pain, disability, and declines in quality of life and physical activity. Due to the obesity pandemic and the growing elderly population, knee OA is becoming more common. Although OA was once thought of as a "wear and tear" condition, it is now understood to be a far more complicated condition caused by low-grade inflammation brought on by inflammatory mediators secreted by the synovium, cartilage, and bone. This low-grade inflammation is the focus of geniculate artery embolization.
Knee replacement surgery is the definitive treatment for OA of the knee. A sizable portion of patients, however, are not yet ready for knee replacement and rely on daily NSAIDs, opioids, or knee injections for pain management with varying degrees of efficacy. For these individuals, genicular artery embolization (GAE), also known as knee embolization, is a novel less invasive therapeutic option.
Risk Factors
- Increasing age
- Obesity
- Family history
- Prior knee trauma
Symptoms
- Pain that increases when you are active, but gets a little better with rest.
- Swelling
- Feeling of warmth in the joint.
- Stiffness in the knee, especially in the morning or when you have been sitting for a while.
Diagnosis
At the clinic visits, the doctor will do a physical examination to determine the location of knee discomfort. The doctor could additionally ask for the following to check for OA of the knee:
- X-ray
- MRI